This Howard Forward Strategic Plan Five-Year Update Report has been created to reflect on the successes and achievements of the Howard Forward Strategic Plan, initiated in 2019 and concluded with the 2023-2024 academic year. The Howard Forward Strategic Plan transformed many aspects of our University, aligned through five strategic pillars and their respective priorities.
Initiative 1.1
Initiative: Excellence in Teaching, Learning, and Student Success [DS1] through realignment of academic offers, prioritization of building competitive workforce skills in students, and development of distance learning options to increase online offerings.
Howard carried out a comprehensive review of 141 academic programs during Program Prioritization and established a framework to measure program effectiveness in five key areas through a continuous improvement process. Millions of dollars were awarded to academic programs through the university’s newly minted Prioritization Investment Grants Program. Howard also made university-wide increases to faculty salaries along with strategic investments in new faculty hires to ensure students have an educational experience of exceptional quality. New academic centers, online degrees, dual degree programs, and undergraduate degree completion options have been established to address contemporary academic demands and to foster interdisciplinary collaboration. Underenrolled programs are being sunset, consolidated, restructured, and contemporized to ensure relevance and operational efficiency.
Initiative 1.2
Academic Innovation through the development of new academic programs, improved classroom technology campus-wide, and increased online learning opportunities.
Initiative 1.3
Recruitment, Retention, and Access to Education improvements by incorporating new strategies for increasing need- and merit-based funding, using data analytics and AI technology to analyze and plan improvements to retention rates, and champion financial and academic programs that drive student success.
Initiative 1.4
Professional Development by prioritizing educational development for faculty and staff, placing emphasis on retention through improved student learning, and creation and implementation of professional advancement plan to continue preparing students for the workforce.
Under Howard Forward, our University increased the number of new faculty completing the New Faculty Orientation (NFO), with a completion rate of 70%, from the original goal of 20%. Additionally, all new Department Chairs and Associate Deans, whether permanent or interim, participate in year-long Chair Leadership Academy (CLA) which offers approximately 35 hours of training. As 60% of other Universities and Colleges do not offer this level of training and support of academic leadership and the remaining percentage of Schools and Colleges only provide on average 4-6 hours total, this program received two commendations from the Middle States in the last accreditation report, acknowledging our pursuit of academic excellence.
Initiative 1.5
Optimize Faculty Workload and Course Offerings by creating a more effective course enrollment process, reducing under- and over-enrollment, and distributing faculty work equitably within departments to balance teaching, scholarship, and service.
Supporting faculty and students well is essential to pursuing academic excellence. By implementing our Academic Analytics tool, we are better equipped to understand and support the work our faculty members are doing, reducing unseen workload issues. We understand that this optimization begins at hiring, and thus have streamlined our onboarding processes within our BisonHub platform to support our faculty from day one. Also integrated into BisonHub, Coursedog was significantly updated to improve student user experience and the course selection process.
Initiative 2.1
Increase the depth and diversity of research and scholarship.
The number and size of externally funded research grants awarded to our University has surpassed projections, exceeding $106 million in FY2023. Howard University continues to grow as a premier research institution, currently holding R2 ‘High Research Activity’ status from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. The university aims to achieve R1 ‘Very High Research Activity’ status by 2025, already outpacing the average R1 institution in the conferral of doctoral degrees by nearly two-to-one.
Initiative 2.2
Increase the number of students who participate in study abroad experiences and high-impact academic and extracurricular activities that expand thinking, promote diversity of thought, civil discourse, and empathy.
A new exchange program with University College Dublin Business Schools was launched, focusing on Diversity & Inclusion and Sustainability in Business, further enhancing students' international exposure and learning experiences
Initiative 2.3
To support opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration and co-creation that produces 20 percent joint academic programs and research partnerships.
Howard University partnered with the University of Illinois Chicago and the University of Miami for a clinical trial addressing opioid use disorder, focusing on the disproportionately affected Black population. The Howard University Center for Sickle Cell Disease also organized its 17th annual Cure Sickle Cell Now Move-On event to raise awareness and show support for those affected by sickle cell disease.
Initiative 2.4
To support research that addresses local, national, and global health challenges through collaboration with STEM academic fields, such as biology, chemistry, medicine, engineering, and computer science, and the social sciences.
The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation awarded $1 million to the Quantum Biology Laboratory for Matter-to-Life research, marking a massive step in exploring the intersection of quantum physics and biology. An academic partnership with Amazon focused on machine learning and natural language processing, underscoring Howard University’s commitment to uplifting Black academics and perspectives in underrepresented fields. In 2023, Howard University became the first HBCU to lead a University Affiliated Research Center, established by the U.S. Air Force and Department of Defense. Through the center, our University was awarded a five-year, $90 million contract to conduct research on efficient, affordable, and trustworthy human-machine teaming and systems-of-systems with autonomy and artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities, aligning with the modernization priorities of the U.S. Air Force, Space Force, and DOD.
Initiative 3.1
Develop effective models for industry and community engagement through expansion of Howard University’s Alternative Spring Break and Day of Service initiatives. Progressively increase service opportunities and programs, tracking progress through a system that globally monitors service delivery by our students, faculty, and staff to the public.
Initiative 3.2
Serve the District of Columbia through strategic and effective engagement with its citizens, businesses, and K-16 institutions to enhance educational outcomes in Washington, D.C.
The Howard University Middle School of Mathematics and Science (MS)2 forms a bridge between our University and the District, providing educational opportunities for local middle schoolers and student teaching experiences for School of Education students. In the 2022-2023 school year, student achievement in mathematics increased by 100 percent over the previous year. (MS)2 was selected by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to receive a grant for a project designed to make Algebra 1 more accessible to Black girls.
Initiative 3.3
Initiative 4.1
Operational Excellence and Compliance are achieved by reducing the time to completion of key processes and reviewing the effectiveness and efficiency of administrative, operational, and academic processes.
Initiative 4.2
Campus Footprint and Sustainability efforts were made to reduce the campus’ carbon footprint and energy use by 20 percent and prioritize the Campus Master Plan’s renovations and new construction alignment with academic and research priorities.
In February 2023, Howard launched the $785 million Campus Master Plan, the largest campus development project in our history. The Master Plan included building three new stateof-the-art multidisciplinary academic halls and renovating several existing structures, including the historic Myrtilla Miner Building. The new construction projects are expected to be completed by 2026, with four of nine already complete or near completion.
Initiative 4.3
Procurement process changes improved the performance of the procurement function by implementing “source to pay” industry best practices.
The Howard Forward plan saw great strides in identifying monetary savings in our procurements, with over $11.4 million in savings opportunities from 2020-2024.
Initiative 4.4
Customer Service and Engagement training campus-wide improved the customer service experience for our students and employees, working alongside improvements made to student life via campus housing and streamlined degree programming.
Initiative 5.1
Endowment Growth sought to elevate the endowment to $1 billion to increase support for student scholarships and infrastructural investments.
Howard University’s endowment has nearly reached the Howard Forward goal of $1 billion. The years 2019 to 2024 under the Howard Forward Strategic Plan in particular stand out with significant expansion, from $693 million to $927 million, underscoring Howard’s financial capacity to pursue long-term institutional goals.
Initiative 5.2
Improve Development by building infrastructure for sustained corporate and private philanthropy to launch a robust and successful capital campaign, promote top fundraising priorities, and implement strategies to increase alumni and private donor engagement.
The Howard Forward investments initiative in Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 resulted in a surge of alumni donations, peaking at over $171 million in FY2021 and exceeding $200 million annually from FY2022 to FY2023. The Office of Development and Alumni Relations exceeded the Howard Forward philanthropic target goal three years ahead of schedule, experiencing significant growth in the number of alumni donors, including securing the largest gifts ever made by living alumni.
Initiative 5.3
Increase Growth of Revenue Streams through maximized federal funding returns, form real estate partnerships to boost revenue, plan proactively with local governments, and enhance community relations to leverage funding at all government levels.
Working in conjunction with the Campus Master Plan, a $785 million effort to accelerate renovations and construct the first new academic centers on campus since 1984, Howard Forward saw the construction of much needed infrastructure and housing opportunities for students, faculty, and staff. In 2023, Howard University also achieved significant improvements in grant funding, exceeding the 2024 grant goal of $100 million with $106.4 million in grant funding received, and over 60 percent of submitted proposals won.
